1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved cover for a document binder, such as an album, a notebook, a spiral binder, a loose leaf binder, and other types of binders that employ a stiff front cover.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional hard cover binders are usually formed with a flat, expansive, rectangular front cover core, often formed of chipboard, fiber board, cardboard, plastic, or some other stiff material. In some cases the cover core forms the sole structure of the front cover. Often, however, the cover core has a planar outside surface covered with a film of plastic or a layer of fabric. The planar inside surface of the cover core is often covered with an inside cover liner formed of paper or a sheet of plastic.
Very typically the front cover of a binder is formed as a flat, unbroken expanse, often imprinted with a title or some other identifying indicia. In some cases the front cover may be constructed with a transparent title sheet-retaining overlay and a title sheet inserted in between the overlay and the stiff portion of the front cover. However, conventional front covers of the binders have a decidedly two-dimensional appearance.
The present invention provides a front binder cover with a unique, three-dimensional appearance. According to the invention, display openings are defined in the front cover core and transparent plastic blisters or boxes are located in the these display openings. Three-dimensional objects may be positioned in these transparent blisters or boxes. Each blister has a hollow, concave bubble portion surrounded by a base. The bubbles are initially open on the base side which is located at the inside surface of the front cover core. This allows insertion of a three-dimensional object into the bubble. The base side of the bubble or blister is thereafter closed by an inner front cover liner or closure panel to form an enclosed box having a transparent roof that serves as a window into the box. The three-dimensional object positioned in the box is thereby visible to an observer when the binder is closed.
While the front cover core may be formed with a single display opening, more typically the cover core is provided with a plurality of such openings. Groups of related objects such as dried flowers, seeds, photographs, collectible pins, badges, medallions and innumerable other small objects and articles may be positioned in the boxes located in the front cover. These objects are preferably loosely encapsulated within the boxes so that they exhibit some movement within their confines when the cover is opened and closed. This adds to the three-dimensional effect created. The binder thereby has a far more unique and interesting appearance as contrasted with conventional binders that are only imprinted with two-dimensional lettering or designs.
In one broad aspect the present invention may be considered to be a shallow box document binder cover having a front cover core formed as a flat structure having inside and outside surfaces and defining at least one display opening therethrough surrounded by the structure of the front cover core. A blister formed of stiff, resilient transparent plastic is provided which has a base, a raised interior bubble portion projecting outwardly from the base, and flat base flanges projecting in opposing lateral directions from the bubble portion. The bubble portion is positioned to project into the display opening from the inside surface of the front cover core with the base flanges residing in contact with the inside surface of the front cover core. A base closure member is provided which extends across the base of the blister to define a hollow cavity within the bubble portion of the blister.
In preferred embodiments of the shallow box document binder cover of the invention, the front cover core is provided with a plurality of display openings of the type described. Each of these display openings is provided with a separate blister of the type described. The front cover thereby has the appearance of a flat cover surface in which a plurality of transparent enclosures are formed. Each transparent enclosure contains a separate three-dimensional article or object which is loosely trapped in the hollow cavity formed by the blister and the base closure across the base of the blister at the inside surface of the front cover core. These three-dimensional articles or objects are normally different from each other in some way.
The bubble portion of the blister has a shape that conforms to the shape of the display opening. For example, the display opening may have a square shape so that the bubble portion of the blister also has a square configuration when viewed through its exposed transparent side. The transparent, exposed roof of the bubble portion of the blister may project through the display opening and beyond the outer surface of the front cover core to thereby a form an enclosing cavity for the three-dimensional object that is thicker than the front cover core. Alternatively, the transparent, exposed roof of the bubble portion of the blister may reside in coplanar relationship with the outer surface of the front cover. In some instances the box cavity may be extremely shallow and the transparent roof of the bubble portion of the blister may be recessed below the level of the outer surface of the front cover.
The base flanges of the transparent blister prevent the blister from passing entirely through the display opening and are often utilized to secure the blister firmly in position anchored to the front cover core. Mutually engaging hook and fabric fastening strips, such as those sold under the registered trademark, Velcro(copyright), may be utilized to attach the base flanges to the inside surface of the front cover core. Alternatively, an adhesive may be utilized for this same purpose instead.
In another arrangement, however, the bubble portion of the blister may include a lip that extends laterally from opposing sides of the periphery of the top or roof of the bubble portion. The lip is separated from the base flanges by a distance equal to the thickness of the front cover core. In this way the lip and the base flanges grip the front cover core at the perimeter of the display opening when the bubble portion of the blister is inserted into the display opening from the inside surface of the front cover core. Alternatively, the base flanges can be flexed and inserted from the outside of the cover into the display opening. In any event, either the structure of the front cover core or the structure of the blister must be elastically resilient enough to permit passage of either the lip or the flanges through the display opening. Once the lip clears the outer surface or the flanges clear the inner surface of the front cover core, the blister is immobilized in the display opening by the gripping contact established by the lip against the outside surface of the front cover core and the contact of the base flanges against the inside surface of the front cover core.
In other embodiments of the invention the blister may be secured immovably in position relative to the front cover core by an inner cover liner that extends across the inside surface of the front cover core. This liner also serves as the base closure to the blister. The liner may be secured by adhesive to both the inside surface of the front cover core and to the base flanges of the transparent blister. In these embodiments of the invention the inner cover liner permanently seals off the hollow cavities formed within the blisters. In such embodiments the three-dimensional articles or objects must be placed in the blister enclosures during manufacture of the front binder cover, and cannot be changed.
Other embodiments of the invention allow a user to customize the front binder cover of the invention. In these embodiments the base closure member may be formed as a stiff panel that is thinner than the front cover core. This panel may be set into a recessed area of the front cover core and held in position by friction, hook and loop fabric fasteners, pressure sensitive adhesive, or swivel tabs. Alternatively, the panel may be hinged to the inside surface of the front cover core and rotated to a position closing off the cavity defined within the structure of the blister by covering the base of the blister, or alternatively to a position exposing the base of the blister.
The invention may be described with greater clarity and particularity by reference to the accompanying drawings.